Photos by LLYC Media Team & Alyson Amestoy
From Mr. Businessman to a fire-breathing dragon, camp skits help kids laugh, connect, and glimpse a deeper truth.
It was a hot evening in the Canyon, and LLYC campers crowded into the Singing Hills pavilion for opening day Roundup. There was singing and dancing. There was Chug and Crush. And there was a camp villain. In session one of 2023, that meant Mr. Businessman.
Mr. Businessman strutted his mustache and sportscoat to center stage holding a “detonator” (i.e. a key fob for a camp truck), and said, “I’m going to do it. I’m going to blow it up.” GASP!
According to the skit, Mr. Businessman planned to tear down Singing Hills to make room for his super, mega highway. But the goal for the Roundup coordinator playing Mr. Businessman? Connect with campers.
“For two weeks, I was the villain for every single camper I came across,” laughed Luke Molak, aka Mr. Businessman, who now works as a Youth Camp associate. “But it was a cool way to make a connection with the kids and joke around with them.”
Camp skits help create a sense of community. Every camper is in on the same joke—campers may even see their own cabin counselors on the Roundup stage as different characters throughout the session. When the funny camp villain is your counselor, the humor hits even harder and the campers feel like their cabin belongs at Roundup—like they belong at Roundup.
Consider the recurring Raisin Bran skit. Crew members in black trash bags (aka the raisins) run around trying not to be caught by another counselor who plays the spoon. Campers laugh and cheer, “It’s the raisins that make the Raisin Bran so great!” It’s silly. And shared silliness creates a sense of belonging.
“It was a cool way to make a connection with the kids and joke around with them.”
The Making of a Camp Skit
Program teams outline themes for each session during staff week, often based on pop culture superheroes, summer blockbusters, or the latest streaming hit. Then every night at Roundup, the programmers put on a skit that connects back to the chosen theme.
But camp skits serve a function outside of Roundup. They are often used to capture the attention of excited (easily distracted) youth when explaining game rules or announcing Late Night events.
According to James Crow, one of the programmers for summer 2025, camp skits can also be a great way to draw in campers who aren’t super sporty and competitive. This way every camper can enjoy the story and interact with a group activity without feeling pressure to join the physical game—there’s that LLYC community building we keep mentioning.
Camp skits make the LLYC experience more intentional. Campers aren’t just attending camp. They are solving a mystery, laughing with new friends, engaging in group games—and through silly characters and stories, they are learning about redemption.
“I once played this evil dragon who was really just misunderstood,” said Anna Sitzes, another LLYC associate. Throughout the session, Dragon Anna learned to control her emotions and extinguish the fire within her—by getting dropped into a dunk tank, of course.
“It’s a sweet picture of redemption but in a silly—and kind of weird—way,” laughed Anna.
Even Mr. Businessman found redemption in the Canyon.
During his session, campers discovered Mr. Businessman had a bad boss who was giving bad orders. There’s always more going on under the surface. Campers and staff pleaded with Mr. Businessman. When he heard their side and what Singing Hills meant to them, he had a change of heart. Camp was saved!
Until the next session.
LEFT: David Rogers’ route to president and CEO of the H. E. Butt Foundation included camp skits.
Inherited Silliness
Give me two pairs
(Cause) I need two pairs
(So I) can get to stompin’ in my Air Force Ones
Big boys stompin’ in my Air Force Ones
“Oh, THIS is what that’s from!” exclaimed Luke Molak.
Ninties kids may recognize the words as the lyrics to Nelly’s 2002 hit “Air Force Ones”—but for others like Luke, these are the words of a famous guys’ side LLYC cheer.
Much like the beloved Raisin Bran camp skit, camp cheers are often passed down from one camp generation to the next. Admittedly, the cheers are goofy. So, what is this inherited silliness adding to the LLYC experience? Community.
Whether it’s for girls’ side, guys’ side, or a specific cabin, campers cheer together and create a feeling of shared belonging at camp.
The words don’t make sense—but the fun does.
Silly meets sacred in this mash up of LLYC skits.
